According to Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa military administration, Ukrainian forces in the southern province of Kherson destroyed a “significant” ammunition dump close to the Russian-occupied port city of Henichesk on Sunday.
“Our armed forces dealt a good blow in the morning – and a very loud one – in the village of Rykove, Henichesk district, in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region,” Bratchuk said in a morning video message on Sunday.
“There was a very significant ammunition depot. It was destroyed.”
The information could not be independently verified by Reuters. Regarding the claimed strike, Russia made no immediate statement.
Videos of a massive cloud of smoke rising far into the distance with explosion sounds were published by Ukrainian media.
Rykove is roughly 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Henichesk, a port city in southern Ukraine on the Sea of Azov that has been under Russian military control since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
According to EU industry chief Thierry Breton, the European Union is accelerating military sales to Ukraine to bolster the nation’s counteroffensive against Russian soldiers.
“We are going to step up our efforts to deliver arms and ammunition- this is a war of high intensity in which they play a crucial role,” Breton said, pledging that 1 million high-caliber weapons must be provided within the next year.
“We are preparing for the war to last several more months, or even longer,” he added.
Additionally, Russian troops “have abandoned” the settlement of Piatykhatky on the Zaporizhzhia front, according to Russian military blogger War Gonzo. The author speculates that Ukraine has concentrated significant reserves in the region, including soldiers but also “heavy armored vehicles,” and he questions whether Kyiv will mobilize its reserves for what would undoubtedly be a significant onslaught in the region.
Although this is the area where Russian defences are thought to be strongest, if confirmed, it would be Ukraine’s first village victory in about a week and crucially indicate an apparent escalation of the offensive on the most direct approach to Crimea.
14 airstrikes launched on Russian forces’ positions
According to Ukraine, 14 airstrikes were conducted on regions where Russian forces are mainly present.
According to a statement on Facebook from Ukraine’s General Staff, the air force launched 14 airstrikes over the course of the previous day, targeting locations where enemy personnel are stationed. The statement also stated that “our defenders also destroyed 2 anti-aircraft missile systems.”
The statement also claimed that Ukrainian missiles and artillery struck three control points, five ammunition depots, and three artillery units in the past day.
According to the statement, Russia is focusing its military efforts in the directions of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka.
SOURCE: REUTERS AND NEWS AGENCIES
